Bill Would Exempt SC-Made Guns From Fed Regulation

CHARLESTON (AP) - Proposed legislation would exempt weapons made in South Carolina from federal regulations.

Sen. Lee Bright's Firearms Freedom Act would mean that firearms, ammunition and gun accessories made in South Carolina aren't subject to federal rules and oversight. Bright says his bill would allow South Carolina manufacturers to skirt federal regulations because the materials would not cross state lines.

The Roebuck Republican pre-filed the bill on Dec. 13, a day before massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn, where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults.

Eight other states have already approved similar proposals, and dozens of others are considering them. Legislation approved in Montana is being challenged in federal court.